BOOK CLUB 02 / KISSES FROM KATIE

I read this book back when I started highschool and I remember it being such a powerful novel, I never could put it down. The story of this girl and her life is so beautiful and inspiring. It truly felt me feeling speechless because everything about it was so perfect. Let's dive in because I have so much to say! Instead of answering questions or only writing about the book in long detail, I'm going to point out three things I learned from reading the novel!

Background information if you haven't read the book yet; The book is about a girl by the name of Katie who leaves her friends, home, family, school, boyfriend, and the comforts of America to follow a calling she had from the Lord. It required her to travel to Uganda and care for the orphans and help the little village in anyway. She started out as a school teacher, however the language was not english, and the culture there is extremely different. Katie writes about her experience, emotions about leaving home, and the struggle of living in a community of poverty. Her faith is strong and she uses Christ as her strengths to keep pursuing her calling. She ends her novel with opening up about her final decisions and opens an orphanage to all the little girls she can take care of  in the Uganda village, and becomes a "Mommy" to more than four little Uganda girls!

                                             BOOK CLUB: 

1. Her Faith: Katie's faith and willingness to speak the truth is more than inspiring! She shares the gospel to all she meets and has a heart for the lost. I love that she trusts the Lord's plan and embraces it. She's not shy to admit her struggles and fears, and through them she's able to rely on the Lord and commit memory verses to every situation. In the strange village of Uganda that she's not use to, has little friends, living in remote areas, and eating very little, she turns to the one true rock in her life, Christ!

2. Her Willingness to Follow: The Lord called her to leave her family, comforts of home, a solid education of college, her boyfriend, and bestfriends, and yet she still followed. She was willing to leave it all behind her, to begin the ministry of God. Throughout the book she talks about missing home, even visiting during one holiday after a year of seeing her family, and how it all felt so different. Even though it was extremely difficult, lonely at times, and even dangerous, she had a heart of contentment and gratitude. Being a missionary is never easy, yet the way Katie displays the role, is more than beautiful!

3. All of Her Stories: The book is full of fears, struggles, happiness, excitement, and most importantly stories. She shares the most amazing stories of the people she meets, and helps in her village. Writes about the girls she adopts and cares for, and truly captures the personality of each little girl, and while reading you feel like you're there and you know who each person is. Through each story you're able to learn a glimpse about the culture in Uganda.

                                    BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS: 

1. What qualities do you admire in Katie?
2. What is your favorite story in the book about the people she meets? How did this story touch you?
3. Would you be willing to give up your life dreams, and become a missionary? Why or why not.
4. What did the Lord teach you through reading this novel?
5. How can we be more like Katie in our own lives?

A GRATEFUL HEART

                                       THANKFULNESS

Thanksgiving is the one holiday that warms my heart in such a different way than Christmas ever will. Thanksgiving begins that "Holiday Season" and makes everyone very happy and joyful! Christmas is wonderful because you're able to gift your loved ones, and witness the smile on their face when they open it. However, when you're able to sit around the table with loved ones, and share your personal blessings throughout the year, over a delicious turkey feast, no gifts can compare in my book! November first I always create a list of all that I am grateful for, so I wanted to share my list with you today on my blog!

Creating this list whether it's on your iPhone notepad, computer document, on the back of a receipt, or a beautiful journal, it's such a beautiful moment for myself personally. My perspective on life and priorities change. I become more content and realize it's not about the material items that bring me joy in my life, rather it's the people I spend my time with, and the blessings I have on a day to day basis! I like to post this list on my corkboard or use some washi tape to hang it where I can visual see it the most throughout my day, to remind me of all that I have to be grateful for...especially when those thoughts creep in on what to add to my Christmas list.

1. Family: I believe this will never disappear on my grateful list, because my family members are more than a blessing in my life. They have my back, and I have theirs. Their constant encouragement and support in my life means the world to me.

2. Friendships: Friendships are the family you chose! I have always cherished my friends, however since my two best friends have moved out of state for college, it's made me appreciate, love, and miss them more every day!

3. Lily: My puppy Lily! Or more commonly known as, my sleeping partner! Haha. This little cutie will forever be my favorite, and I truly believe no other dog can replace her.

4. A Beautiful Heart Blog: This space has blessed me in more ways than I care to admit. Not only have I made great blogging friendships, but I've been able to focus, learn, and grow my creative talents and abilities, and for that I am beyond thankful my bestie introduced my to the blogging atmosphere.

5. Education: Many of you may not know, but I was homeschooled all throughout my life! Stepping into college it's given me such an appreciation for all the sacrifices my parents have made. My education has equipped me skills that I failed to recognize in High School, and now that I am no longer homeschooled it makes me treasure it even more.

6. California: I am so thankful that I live in sunny So-Cal! I love that I don't wake up to snow, rather I can enjoy the view of sunshine and palm trees!

7. Coffee Talk Conversations: I believe this has been on my thankful list for two years in a row, but rightfully so. It's a special time for myself to reflect on my feelings, along with growing my relationships with dear friends.

8. Traveling: I've been able to cross off so many dreams of mine on my bucket list, and I count it all as joy! I've crossed off; flying, visiting Hawaii, swimming with Dolphins, and attending a concert.

9. Traditions: My family has many traditions for every holiday and I love how it makes the season complete.

10. Bible College: I attend a Bible College because I wanted to be feed the word through my college years! I'm so thankful for the chapel/worship every Sunday night, it's so uplifting for my week! The messages are always exactly what I need to hear. So thankful for the ministry of the Lord.

REIMAGINING YOUR INSTAGRAM FEED

The theme of your instagram is becoming a true work of art. If a photo doesn't fit with your theme, it will not be posted. Every theme has something special about it, maybe it has neon pop of colors, white border, white wash filters, or only selfies. I know girls who will purchase certain novelty treats just to match their theme. Or who will spend hours searching for the perfect backdrop for outfit of the day. And...I'm afraid I too am guilty of this! It's funny how you will do a certain something all for the perfection of your instagram feed, isn't it?

My theme is a little bit all over the place, however with a few things in mind while posting. From the photo you can see the pop of color, white border, and simplicity in my product styling. I have a few tips on how to maintain or create an instagram feed, because I love growing and changing up my photography skills, so let's begin!

                                                          TIPS & TRICKS 

PICK A THEME YOU LOVE: Photo's have the power to speak a million words without actually voicing anything. Browse through the popular feed and explore what colors, and ideas really speaks who you are. You don't have to copy anyone, rather use your own ideas and photography skills.

REPEAT EDITING FILTERS: This one is important because the way you edit your photos can either make them all the same or completely different. I use AfterLight, and it's my favorite. I'm able to create the white border theme, along with brightness and increase of saturation!

DON'T RUIN THE THEME: This may seem simple, but trust me it's hard to stick with! It's always fun to post about your daily activities and special times with friends, but if it doesn't match the theme, don't post it. Every photo needs to be on fleek ;).

BUILD UP THE THEME: Try to constantly post with the same theme in mind, that way your gallery will look full and it will give your new followers the right outlook on your profile.

NATURAL EYEBROW ROUTINE

y eyebrows have always received compliments - it's a compliment I love, yet others laugh when they tell me! I mean it's a weird and uncommon compliment, hey I was staring at your eyebrows, and wow they are so on point. As weird as it may seem, eyebrows definitely define a persons face and eyes. There are many different shapes of eyebrows, but today I'm going to talk about mine specifically and how to maintain them! First let me begin with saying I regularly get them waxed every month. I know It seems like a lot but I have dark hair and therefore it makes them more visual. Even though I get mine waxed, I will still fill them in for special occasions. I don't do this often because I don't like the unnatural look, so I'm going to show you how I do them!

To begin take a brush or pencil, and place it where your eyebrow begins. Follow it down to see exactly where it stops. This will help you remind to not overdo the shape and size of your natural brow. This tip is perfect when plucking little hairs, or even filling them in with makeup!

Like I said above, I will from time to time fill in my brows, just depends on my mood, time, and occision. I really dislike the look of overdone - just plain perfect brows. To me, they look very unnatural, fake, and drawn on! But, I do like the look of bold dark brows, so overtime I've had to find a good balance of both.

You can use brow pencils but again I don't like how they make the brows so overdone. Instead I use an angle brush like this Mac 208 angled brow brush, and a brown eyeshadow that matches my brows. Because my brows are so dark, it's difficult to find the right shade that isn't filled with a little bit of shimmer, like most palettes seem to include. I love bareminerals faux mink  color because it matches perfectly!

For certain occasions I love doing my brows because it just finishes the look of my eyes. It seriously takes me 5 seconds to do them, which is perfect because I'm not one to spend hours on my makeup! Hope this helps you in your everyday makeup routine!

HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF

believe it's so hard to take care of yourself, especially when chaos is surrounded in your life. Piled up homework, unfolded laundry, running errands, helping out friends, busy work schedule; all these's things make a day crazy and lack that "me-time." Not every day needs to include relaxation or extensive alone time, but once or twice a week is needed to keep yourself rested, feeling loved, and to keep producing that strong motivation in your world. Every person is different, so I've created a list that will (hopefully) appeal to many girls! Alone time isn't just about watching tv or taking a nap, instead it can be productive, new, and adventurous! My favorites are definitely #1, 3, 4! What are yours?

1. Buy yourself some flowers: I don't know what it is, but flowers make me feel so happy. I love how they brighten up my space and make everything so cheerful! I promise, this will do the trick.

2. Have some alone time: Yes you've heard this before, but have you listened? Step out into nature and go for a walk along the beach, your neighborhood, or a hiking trail. Go to your favorite bookstore and browse around for a while. Rent a new movie and treat yourself to a chocolate bar. Bring out your craft supplies and make a DIY via Pinterest. You name, do it!

3. Girl time: Spend quality time with one of your girlfriends and have a heartfelt conversation over coffee. Catch up on each others lives, and ditch the gossip for a rewarding and wonderful time together.

4. DIY Spa night: Break out your nailpolish, cotton balls, and glitter because what's better than a mani/pedi? I love having magazines near, or a movie playing in the background! Pour some chips and cookies or anytype of your favorite go-to snacks!

5. Enjoy sunshine: There are many ways to tackle this, and spend some time outside. Go on a local hike, take your dog for a walk, try a new workout exercise, day at the beach, or relaxing by the pool. All of these are great options to try with friends. Each can be relaxing, and enjoyable depending on your hobby and personal outdoor activity preference.

MY FAVORITE FALL CANDLE PICKS

all is my favorite season, so it's about time to take out my fall candles! A cozy and warm bedroom isn't complete without a fall candle burning in the background. I shared my favorite summer candles a while ago, so I thought I'd do the same for the fall season too! So let's begin!

                                                DARK CHOCOLATE

The candle above is dark chocolate by Bath & Body Works and it's just heavenly! Every who knows me, know's that I love anything covered, dipped or flavored in chocolate I'll eat it, so a chocolate scented candle is just ah amazing. Now I'll warn you it's pretty rich, so if you're prone to headaches because your sensitive than this candle may not be for you!

                                            CINNAMON BROWN SUGAR 

I received this candle last christmas, and I'm just now lighting it! I really do enjoy this candle so much. Out of these three candles this one truly represents fall. This candle is from Yankee candle, and I love how big it is compared to others I've purchased because it burns up to 40-60 hours!! Now, I really love Bath & Body Works as I've expressed many times here on the blog, but this candle really makes me enjoy Yankee Candle a whole lot more than I ever thought I would!

                                   CARAMEL PUMPKIN SWIRL

This candle keeps me from craving those caramel apples (okay, maybe that's a lie). I've shared a rich candle, and the ultimate fall candle, now onto my favorite the sweet/dessert candle! This is super sweet, and makes my room smell like a caramel pie with a hint of pumpkin ha-ha. This candle is from Bath & Body Works, and it's from there mason jar collection. Believe it or not, this candle burns longer than the big one's (like the dark chocolate), and it's less money! Score!